Bushmills Irish Whiskey has unveiled The Causeway Collection, a new series of extremely rare and unique cask finished single malt Whiskeys from The Old Bushmills Distillery. The first two offerings from the newly announced lineup are the 2008 Muscatel Cask and the 1995 Malaga Cask. The two new releases are the first cask strength Irish single malt Whiskeys to be introduced by The Old Bushmills Distillery in over 15 years.
The Bushmills 2008 Muscatel Cask was first aged for eight years in oloroso Sherry butts and Bourbon barrels, and then matured in rare muscatel casks for a further four years. Permeated with wine made from the aromatic muscat grape, the muscatel cask imparts deep waves of flavor with luscious ripe fruit notes and a smooth sweetness.
The Bushmills 1995 Malaga Cask is a rare single malt, aged quietly for over 10 years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels before further maturation for an extraordinary 14 years in Malaga casks. After almost 25 years resting in oak, the triple wood maturation bestows notes of sweet spiced plum, toasted vanilla and pinches of coffee grounds on this golden spirit.
“This launch represents a bold new step for Bushmills, one that not only honours the giants and generations before us but also the incomparable natural landscape in which it’s forged,” said Bushmills Master Blender Helen Mulholland. “We are excited to reintroduce cask strength Bushmills single malt whiskeys to our loyal fans across the island of Ireland. With these two new exclusive releases, we celebrate our passion for single malt, showcase our rare and unique casks, and honour our 400-year north coast provenance.”
The Bushmills Causeway Collection will go on sale beginning October 22, 2020 via select Irish online and in-store retailers. Bottled at 56.4% ABV, only 1,454 bottles of the 2008 Muscatel and are priced at €100 / £95 / $123 for 700ml per bottle. Coming in at 53.5% ABV, only 2,491 bottles of the 1995 Malaga Cask are priced at €400 / £390 / $507 per 700ml bottle.